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Review: The Square

Stuntman directs a solid noir
By TOM MEEK  |  April 14, 2010
3.0 3.0 Stars

 

Killing in the name of love, even if it’s accidental, has profound consequences in Nash Edgerton’s macabre Aussie noir. At first, you can’t blame Ray (David Roberts) for his dalliance with Carla (Claire van der Boom): despite being north of 50, he’s still virile, whereas his wife, Martha (Lucy Bell), has all the appeal of a lapdog.

Meanwhile, Clara, decades his junior, lives with a tow-truck operator named Smithy (Anthony Hayes) who dabbles in petty crime and has a bad mullet and a worse disposition. You’d think that with Ray’s nice spread by the bay and bustling construction biz, the two lovers would just pack up and go — but no, they decide to steal Smithy’s money.

From there, things get ugly — and bloody — fast. Edgerton, a stuntman by trade, doesn’t offer much that’s new, but the script by his brother, Joel, keeps folding back in on itself, and if character credibility lags, at least the tension stays high. It’s all good enough that director Edgerton could think about giving up his day job.

Related: Review: The Road, Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Review: Oh My God, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Entertainment, Nash Edgerton, Claire van der Boom,  More more >
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ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK
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    Regrettably, this team loses a lot of Seuss's quirkiness, though not the message about corporate greed and slash-and-burn imperialism.

 See all articles by: TOM MEEK



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